Nightmares
by Penelope S Cartwright
Summary: One night a deatheater raid changes everything. One year and the world changes. Nightmares will forever plague everyone. Written to my best Gryffindor friend, Destiny78. SSOC, RLOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Nightmares**

The night was clear with a cold breeze coming in from the North. Small neighborhoods were silent and dark. A lone figure was still up and pacing around her room. Long red hair swayed gently behind her. She wore only a long black robe. Sighing, she moved back to her bed and laid down, trying to sleep.

Below in the street, everything was quiet. The small cult-du-sac had only ten houses on it, five on each side. All the lights were off. Even the shadows that moved were silent. Rows of them walked in the street, shoulder to shoulder. With the moon full, their white masks were glowing. Two were leading the large group. They spread themselves over the lawns, looking into windows. Some seemed to glide over the asphalt.

"There."

A long skeletal hand pointed to a two story house with blue trim. A small car was parked in the driveway. The woman turned over in bed, finally able to drift on to oblivion. The figures surrounded the house. A white light flared for a second and one of the figures entered the house. A dark shadow tailing the group disappeared as quickly as it was noticed... It appeared in the woman's room. Looking around, it spotted the woman sleeping. A long fingered pale hand appeared holding a wand.

"Silencio," whispered the shadow.

The woman's eyes flickered open. She tried to yell but no sound came out of her mouth. She couldn't see the face under the cloak. She tried reaching for her wand–

"Stupefy."

She didn't remember anything after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Waking Up **

Vivian McGonagall woke up alone, cold, and frightened in a small room that badly needed painting. The comforter that covered her was gray and very care-worn. Looking around she saw that there were no windows and only one door, the only way out. She ran a hand through her mused hair and tried to think. _Where am I and how the hell am I supposed to get out?_ She flinched as the door to the room opened slowly. A girl with very bushy hair peeked in and then smiled at her.

"Oh, I've seen you awoken. Are you okay?"

Vivian studied the girl closely. She did have a wand hidden in her robe but looked completely harmless to her.

"I'm fine. Could you tell me where I am?" _Hopefully courtesy will get her to talk to me..._

"Of course. Your presently staying at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Your aunt should be up here soon. She'll explain everything."

The girl looked at her as if she were looking at some weird specimen on display. Vivian noticed and became quickly unnerved.

"Do you find something interesting?" she snapped.

The girl's eyes widened and she stepped back involuntarily.

"No! I–I just have never seen any of the Professor's relatives before. I would have never guessed."

"Good. Now scram unless you have something else to say."

The girl puffed up for a moment with righteous indignation but did not say anything else. She turned from the door and walked away. _Stupid girl left it open! _Vivian got up quickly and ran to the door. She was stopped dead by her aunt.

"Going somewhere, are you?"

The stern looking witch glared down at her niece. She wore her usual green robes and black hat which were slightly rumbled.

"No," lied Vivian unconvincingly.

"You haven't changed at bit. Your still as stubborn as your mother, but at least she was kind to people when they helped her."

"I didn't need help..."

"You didn't need help! The Deatheaters nearly got you! Voldemort was even there! You slept through the whole thing! If it wasn't for—."

She stopped abruptly and looked away.

"For who, Aunt? One of your precious order members? There doesn't seem to be a lot of them, these days. And now your recruiting from the student body..."

_**Smack! **_

Vivian's head jerked back as her aunt's hand made contact with her face. Wide-eyed and a little disoriented Vivian stepped back and brought a hand to her face. A red welt started to appear on her cheek.

"You watch your tongue around me, girl," she whispered dangerously, "for your information, it wasn't one of ours. It was one of _his_ who seemed to take pity on you..."

"Who was it?" Vivian said quietly.

"The Half-Blood Prince."

"The Half-Blood Prince? What he doesn't have a real name? And since when do we have a monarchy?"

"His mother's name was Prince. He does have a real name, but... I don't know this person anymore..."

"Whatever, Aunt."

Vivian stood up straight, her arms crossed. Professor McGonagall wasn't nearly as angry at her niece as she was afraid for her. Vivian was a stubborn thick skinned woman of twenty-seven. Her mother and father had both died in the first war of "unknown causes." That just meant they were poisoned with an unidentifiable potion. Minerva McGonagall sighed and tried on last attempt to make her niece see sense.

"He left you on the doorstep of Number 11. That's the house next door. You were unconscious. He also left a letter explaining why they were after you and then what they had done to your house. There's nothing left there; just a pile of ashes. He didn't sign the letter but we know its him because he left his cloak covering you."

A large black cloak hung on the door.

Vivian sat down and sighed.

"So what else did you find out?"


	3. The First Nightmare

**Author's Note: Sorry for such the long delay, dear readers! School and work has taken up most of my time and not to mention all the reading I've been doing also. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Be forewarned, this chapter contains some disturbing imagines. **

**Chapter Three: The First Nightmare**

He woke up damp and cold. His back ached and his arm was twisted painfully underneath him. The concrete he slept on felt like ice rather than stone. His robes were dirty and frayed and his hair was even more greasy than it has ever been. He should have never left his cloak with that ungrateful brat. He had three days of stubble on his face and he had bags under his eyes. The lines of his face stood out more pronounced. He winced slightly as he sat up. His joints popped as he stretched.. He could see his own breath. He shivered slightly. The stupid girl didn't even have proper wards up. He was lucky to have been able to apparate into her house and more so into her room. What if the Dark Lord had tried that? There would have been nothing he could do... The room the Prince occupied was bare. There was only one window with moth eaten curtains hanging from it. The only light that entered the room came from the street lamp below. He heard the faintest rustle of robes. He was on his feet in a flash, wand at the ready.

"It is only I, Severus."

The room's temperature dropped another ten degrees if possible at the sound of that cold high voice. Snape kneeled as fast as he could.

"My Lord."

"Raise, Severus. We have much to discuss."

"Yes, my lord."

"A different setting is in order though. Take my arm. I know you cannot apparate..."

Snape took the Dark Lord's arm and suppressed a shudder. It felt like marble. They appeared in another room. It was modestly furnished with a high backed chair, a table in the middle of the room, and another chair with soft brown fabric. Voldemort seated himself and motioned to Snape to do the same. Snape did, noticing how sore he still was.

"Why did you hide away these past days, Severus?"

"Some of my fellows are trying to — dispose of me. I'm hunted by both sides, my Lord."

"Do not worry about my deatheaters. I have told them that if you were killed, then all of them will die."

Snape's face did not change but his eyes showed his skepticism. Voldemort waved his hand idly at the empty fireplace. And the grate burst into flames. Warmth flooded the room. Snape began to relax. _He's stalling_, thought Snape. Voldemort waved his hand again and a tea service appeared fully set. His long pale fingers wrapped around a delicate cup and he brought it to his almost non-existent lips.

"Your loyalty is of no question to me, Severus. That is why I want you to find one of my horcruxes."

Those pitiless red eyes told him not to disagree. A hiss was heard below them. Nagini wound herself around the hems of their robes. She settled near the fire.

"I will do what my Lord asks."

The Dark Lord moved his chair closer to the fire.

"Snakes are such magnificent creatures... Hardly any weaknesses yet a lot of enemies. I have enemies even within my own ranks and sadly I have to watch them more than Potter. That boy wanders aimlessly around the British Isles looking for the remaining horcruxes. I can feel him. I know where he is... Be wary of him, Severus. He wants to kill you as much as he does me."

"I am aware of it, my Lord. Potter has become quiet skilled but he lacks self-control. No doubt he is powerful as we know he shares your gifts. That boy has been lucky. The only thing I can do is avoid him since according to the prophecy, only you can kill him."

The Dark Lord chuckled softly. He placed his cup back on its saucer and looked directly at Snape.

"How long has it been since you slept properly?"

"Three days, four nights."

Voldemort nodded. His wand appeared and in an empty corner a bed appeared with black linens. Voldemort put his wand away and brought something else out from under his thick cloak. It was a purple bottle.

"Drink this, Severus. A sleeping drought of my own brew."

He reluctantly took the bottle and placed it on his lips. He couldn't smell poison. It was only when he tasted it that he detected something added to the potion. He couldn't tell what it was; it scared him. The last thing he remembered before closing his eyes was Voldemort's snake-like face leering at him.

_Severus..._

Snape opened his eyes. He was in the Lightening Tower. He could barely see the stone walls around him and the ramparts.

_Severus... _he heard his name again.

He turned around slowly. He saw a body lying on the floor about two meters away. Against his will, he moved towards it. He stepped into something sticky. The body twitched. It was a young man covered in blood and dirt. The boy's hair was so dark it appeared blue to his eyes. He felt bile raise into his throat; he choked it back. The boy had been slashed violently all over his body. His clothes barely covered him. Grimly, Snape noticed the boy had no eyes. The body moved again.

_You could have saved me. _

_No, I came too late. I could do nothing. _

_You always come too late..._

He mechanically moved his head to the left and saw a figure slightly taller than himself next to him.

_You did all you can, _it whispered to him.

_No I didn't_, he tried to say back. The figure stepped closer to Snape. He could smell rotting and diseased flesh. Something on the figure gleamed silver when it moved slightly.

_You did all that you could, no one will ever blame you for that..._

_I blame HIM! _screamed the young man on the floor suddenly.

The whole bloodied mass had turned onto its stomach and started crawling towards Snape. Snape couldn't move.

_He killed you! He killed ME! _The man screamed again.

_Severus_, the figure started, _remember that you are the only one who can help Harry understand. Don't let him be reduced to this._

The figure motioned with a blackened hand. Snape gasped as he realized who it was.

_No! Get away from me! I can't take this right now! _

_You already know where one of the horcruxes are... Save Harry and maybe you can save her also..._

_I CAN'T! GET THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM ME! _

Snape tried to move away from Dumbledore but was unable to. He felt something wrap around his left ankle.

_You're a coward! You've always been one! _

The grotesque mass of flesh had reached out with one mangled arm and the hand grasped Snape's ankle. The hand only had three fingers. The face of the boy looked up. Snape could see that the scar on its head had been enlarged and now covered most of its forehead. Snape tried to get away and flung his arms out–

And he awoke in a dark room with modest furnishings. His chest was heaving and sweat covered his whole body. He blinked a couple of times to adjust.

Voldmort was still sitting in his chair with his long white fingers together.

"Go back to sleep, Severus," said Voldemort. "It was just a nightmare."


	4. Within Desperate Lies

**Chapter Four: Within Desperate Lies**

"We haven't found out much from the letter he left, but where have you been these past years, would be a good start!" McGonagall snapped.

Vivian sat with her arms and legs crossed. Her posture showed every bit of her defiance. A scowl was on her brow and her lips were pursed into thin lines.

"I've been to different places... I've met many allies and people that have helped me. You see, I have something of Voldemort's that he wants back–."

"What!" McGonagall's eyes had widened and her mouth opened slightly.

"Yes, I have the locket."

McGonagall's bewilderment turned into apprehension. She eyed her niece as if she were joking.

"A locket?"

"Yes. Here. Look."

Vivian pulled a thin silver chain from under her robes. A silver locket had come up also and she pulled the chain over her head. She placed the locket into her palm. McGonagall looked at it. It had a S carved into it with snakes decorating the sides. It was a handsome locket.

"What is it really if Voldemort wants it so badly?"

"It's Slytherin's locket. Voldemort made it into one of his horcruxes. Part of his soul is hidden in it," she added as she saw her aunt about to question what a horcrux was.

"How did you get it?"

"Well, you do remember that I was sorted into—."

"Slytherin, I know." McGonagall answered with a pained expression.

"One of my close friends was Regulus Black. After I found out he was a deatheater, I lost contact with him. Right before he died, he gave me this saying to never let Voldemort find it. Voldemort was presumed dead in his first downfall but I believed and trusted Albus Dumbledore. I knew he was going to come back someday so I went into hiding."

"I moved around a lot. I met people I could trust, but knew other people didn't like werewolves and vampires who didn't want anything to do with our world. You can say that they are the lost ones. Not registered or anything. The house in which I was staying was suggested to me by the Vampire Sanguini. He was one of the key vampires that Eldred Worple focused on in his book _Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires. _It really is a good book..."

"Sanguini was at Hogwarts last year!"exclaimed McGonagall.

"I know. He wrote to me that he had been invited to one of Professor Slughorn's parties."

"And you trust him?"

Vivian's eyes darkened and turned into slits. She growled when she answered.

"Of course I do! He has been one of my best allies and protectors. Just because he's a vampire doesn't mean he has lost all of his humanity."

McGonagall bristled at being spoken to in that way. She huffed once and looked the other way. Vivian was suprised when she didn't get a retort. She was itching for a fight in which she could distract her aunt enough to escape. Once she was out of the building she wouldn't be able to see it or find her way back. It was fine with her. She didn't want to be here or apart of their society anyway. She still thought of the Half-Blood Prince. If he was a deatheater, why did he take pity on her of all people? She was on Voldemort's black list; she was sure of it.

"So," said McGonagall slowly, "you have a dangerous magical object in your possession and Voldemort wants to kill you to get it back."

"You've come up with that finally?"

"Come with me."

McGonagall stood up quickly and exited the room. Vivian followed scornfully. Once outside the room, she saw that they were in a rather large house. It was as rundown as the room she had been in. Pictures hung on the walls, looking at her distrustfully. They both walked down two flights of stairs. Vivian's eyes scanned for anyway out. All the windows were charmed closed. There were long blacked hallways, one which had house elf heads mounted on the walls. When they reached the bottom, Vivian saw the front door, but McGonagall blocked her way. She had her wand pointed at Vivian.

"Just walk straight into that door to your left. I'll be right behind you."

"You don't trust me, Aunt?"

"No."

Vivian walked into what was the kitchen. She heard loud voices arguing. There were two people in there; one she recognized immediately, one she didn't.

"I have to go! I'm the only one who can get close enough to talk to them!" said Remus Lupin fiercely. The werewolf looked very haggard. He still wore tattered robes and his hair had more gray in it. Vivian hadn't seen him since his seventh year at Hogwarts. She was two years younger. The young woman he was fighting with had long dark brown hair and dark eyes. Her robes were neat and clean but even from where she stood, Vivian could smell different herbs used in potions.

"They'll kill you if you go back underground!"

"Remus, Mitchell, we have a _guest_," McGonagall interrupted.

The both of them turned very quickly. Mitchell's eyes were hooded but Remus's face showed his dislike immediately. The werewolf stood in front of Mitchell in a protective stance.

"What is she doing here, Professor?" asked Remus.

"Who is this?" asked Mitchell, too.

"This happens to be my niece," began McGonagall. "Vivian McGonagall."

"She's a suspected deatheater!" Remus said suddenly. He bit his lower lip as if he wished he hadn't blurted it out. Mitchell on the other hand went frantic.

"A deatheater! Take her to the Ministry then! Why is she even here!"

Vivian stood there, silent. She narrowed her eyes at everyone in the room. These people really were disgustingly petty, she thought. The door to the kitchen opened again and two older teenagers walked in. One of them was the same busy haired girl who had inquired about her health. The other was a tall gangly looking boy with freckles and messy red hair.

"Where's Harry?" asked McGonagall sternly.

All there adults ignored Vivian for a moment. It was fine with her. She paid attention though wanting to know where The Chosen One was.

"He's staying at Godric's Hollow," said the boy. "He wanted to study some of his memories alone. We figured we could come and get some rest here."

The teenagers sat down at the wooden table. With a flick of her wand, food appeared in front of both of them.

"What are we going to do with her?" Mitchell nodded toward Vivian.

"I demand to be let go," interrupted Vivian, "I'm not a prisoner of war nor do I intend to be any part of it directly. Let the Dark Lord and Harry bloody Potter duel until they rip the whole of Britain apart."

"You're in it deep from what I can see," said Lupin.

"Shut your muzzle, wolf, or I'll close it for you."

"Don't speak to him that way!" interjected Mitchell.

"I can speak to him however I fucking please."

There was a gasp from the table. Everyone looked at the bitter angry woman.

"Get her out of here, Professor, before _anyone_ does anything drastic," said Lupin.

"I don't know where to put her," answered McGonagall. "We can't house her here."

"Give me my wand. I will leave here of my own violation and —."

"Leave the horcrux here."

There were two crashes. Both chairs the teenagers had been sitting in had toppled over as they stood quickly with wands drawn. They both wore determined looks.

"Leave it with us," said the red head. He looked much older and mature at that moment. Vivian dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"No."

"Don't make us stun or hex you."

"You won't be able to get the chain off my neck if you do."

It was a lie, but no body seemed to notice. She stared back at them with the same dark look. A plan began to form in her mind. She could destroy the horcrux and get the Order Members off her back. She began to pace slowly, the wands following her progress.

"Tell Potter that I will meet him at the Hog's Head three days from now. Only to him, will I surrender the horcrux. After all, its his destiny to have it."

"No," said the red head again. The girl looked more thoughtfull. She glanced at the boy before answering herself.

"How can we trust you?"

"The Dark Lord wants me dead. If your friend were to kill him first, then that will ensure my survival."

Vivian knew the girl was going to let her leave. She would be true to her word and give Potter the locket but that's if no one finds her within that time limit. The girl lowered her wand.

"Hermione! What are you doing?"

The boy looked exasperated but lowered his wand as well. Hermione had a determined look on her face. _That's why my aunt was so mad at me; that's one of her precious Gryffindors._ The others in the room stared at her openly also.

"Have you lost your mind!" shierked Mitchell.

Vivian smirked and raised her left hand.

"My wand if you please?"

The elder McGonagall glanced again at Hermione before handing over the dark wooded wand. The wand looked battered and old. Vivian pocketed in her robe. Remus Lupin glared at her from the other side of the room. Mitchell looked cross and refused to meet anyone's eye.

"Now before I leave," Vivian said while stepping closer to the door, "who is this Half-Blood Prince?"

The eyes of everyone widened. The room felt humid with dread. Prof. McGonagall looked livid.

"I told you to never mind! Its not important that you know who he is. He's a deatheater and that's all that counts."

Vivian's green eyes scanned the room and saw that no one was going to disagree with her aunt.

"I'll see you two later if you accompany Potter. I give you my word."

Both the teenagers nodded. Remus muttered something about not trusting Slytherins and Mitchell agreed with him. McGonagall looked as stern as ever. At a run, Vivian left the house. _That's smart but where are you going? _She apparated five times into different locations in case anyone was following her. At the final location, which was an empty muggle car garage, she let herself rest. Apparation was tiring on one's body. She analyzed everything that she heard and saw in the house. They were hiding out in an old pure-blooded family's house. The immensity of the property led her to that. _Ironic, that is. _The second thing she found out was that they had spies in the _lesser_ communities. Remus Lupin a spy for the werewolves? That was laughable; he's probably the most known as of lately. She already had figured out that Harry and his two friends knew about the horcruxes. It was only a matter of time when they found out _she_ had one.

She took a deep breath and saw it in the air. The garage was frigid. She tried to remember anymore of her hide-outs but it was in vain. An idea then floated into her head.

_There's a certain Vampire who owes me one more favor... _

**Author's Note: Please blame the delay on school and work. Its not like I didn't want to update! Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks to Destiny and Jet for the support! **


	5. The Vampire's Lair

**Author's Note: I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays! Enjoy! **

**Chapter Five: The Vampire's Lair**

Vivian entered a seedy-looking pub around eleven o'clock that night. She had her hood up. No one questioned her or told her to take it off. The Goblin was a notorious pub in the east end of London. The clientele consisted of witches, wizards, deatheaters, werewolves, vampires, and any other creature one could think of.

Vivian approached the bar and was able to get a seat in the middle. The boy whom she knocked off the stool didn't look older than sixteen. He glared at her and attempted to get her to move, but the wand at his throat inferred him to be silent and go on his way. From where she sat she could look directly into the mirror above the bar and see every one who was behind her and any one who entered it. She ordered a double firewhisky and tossed it back in one gulp. She sat there for a half-hour watching everyone. A couple who entered the pub caught her eye. _Oh, he's bold,_ she thought. The man and woman sat down in a booth at the end of the room. The woman appeared enraptured with every thing the man did and said. The man smiled at the woman and begin to kiss her cheek and then her jaw. The man's face was very pale, almost transparent. His hair and eyes, however, were black. When the man reached the woman's neck, Vivian saw the elongated fangs right before they punctured the woman's skin. The woman's eyes closed and she gasped, but not out of pain. The vampire had to hold the woman up because she began to slump onto the floor. _Now's my time..._

Vivian walked up to the "couple" and sat across from the vampire. She swiftly kicked his shin causing him to release his hold on the woman. The woman slumped right off her chair but no one seemed to notice or care. At least, she was still breathing. The vampire growled and stared viciously at Vivian. His eyes were now a deep red and his face was flushed. Vivian smiled saucily at him.

"Vivian! What have I told you about doing that! Its dangerous!"

The vampire crossed his arms and looked cross. His lips were stained with blood.

"It's nice to see you, too, Sanguini."

She smirked at the vampire who couldn't help but smile back at her, his fangs dazzling white.

"So you escaped the death–."

"Shush! Can we go somewhere more private? I'll tell you all about it then."

"Both of them got up from their seats and made their way out of the bar. Sanguini offered Vivian his arm with the dual purpose of being polite and guiding her through the fog. The time was now approaching midnight. The fog had settled itself down onto the streets and between the buildings like a blanket. Vivian's eyes could only see a few feet but she trusted Sanguini's preternatural ones. Sanguini led them into an alley way right next to a tall decrepit building.

"Can you apparate to the top?"

She nodded and disappeared in a second. When she appeared again, Sanguini was already waiting for her.

"Show off," she muttered.

He did a mock bow and seated himself on the ledge of the building. They could see over the fog and looked out toward the east. Vivian paced nervously.

"So how did you escape the deatheaters and the Dark Lord?" he asked.

"I didn't."

"How do you mean?"

"A deatheater with the self-proclaimed title of _half-blood prince _saved me. I woke up before he stunned me. A half-blood in the service of the Dark Lord? Ha!"

Sanguini wasn't as amused as Vivian.

"What happened then?"

"I woke up in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. My aunt is there, Sanguini. She told me that the _prince_ dumped my body on the neighbor's porch because their headquarters is unplottable. He left his cloak and a letter explaining what happened after he stunned me. I never saw it but apparently the house is only a smoking pile of ashes."

They were silent for a couple of minutes in solemn reverie on what could have happened.

"And the..."

"I still have it. I told two of Potter's friends that I will surrender it to him in two days."

"But what if they can't destroy it? What if the Dark Lord tries to get it?"

"The Dark Lord hasn't been able to find it in years! A couple days won't matter. As for the destruction of it... Potter will find some way. Luck has always been with him."

Sanguini nodded, knowing to argue with the witch was no good. Out on the horizon, the sky began to lighten slightly.

"I will have to be gone soon, Vivian."

"I know. Two more questions though. How are the vampires doing?"

Sanguini's face darkened. His eyes had returned to their natural black.

"It doesn't look good. There seems to be only two factions right now; those who fight for the Dark Lord and those who don' give a damn about the war. There are only a handful of us willing to fight against him. Out of those vampires, most are fledglings, not more that a century or two old. There are only four millennia vampires willing to fight including myself. The Dark Lord has six."

Here Sanguini paused, his face turned into a look of despair.

"Vivian," he said quietly, "Radu of Transylvania is among them."

Vivian's eyes met Sanguini's. She knew of Radu. He was one of the oldest vampires undead. Most witches and wizards believed him to be a mythological vampire, just a legend. She could remember being a fifth year sitting in History of Magic, listening to Professor Binns's reedy voice.

_Millennia Vampires are extremely rare. Most vampires only survive five centuries. Wizarding kind have tried to register these creatures but they are hard to track. The Ministries of the world and the International Confederation of_ _Wizards have known of fifteen such vampires. The most notable of these are Carmilla of Ireland, Mephisto of Germany, Lilith of the Middle East, Vlad Dracul of Romania, and Radu of Transylvania. Whether these vampires really exist is uncertain. _

"How do you know its him for sure?" Vivian asked.

Sanguini shook his head.

"I can feel him. I can feel the others right now, also. They want all the clans here in Britain to know they are here. I believe right before the battle they will cloak their presence. I don't know the vampire I feel is Radu for sure, but I do know that whoever it is, is very old and powerful."

"Shite," muttered Vivian.

"Exactly," agreed Sanguini.

"Who are on our side? You said there were four of vampires including yourself."

"Marius of Ancient Rome, Erik of France, and Justinia of Atlantis. She is the oldest among us."

The sky had lightened considerably while they spoke to each other. Vivian heard the muggle clocks of London chime five in the morning.

"Vivian, I have to go. The sun will be rising in another hour or so. What else did you want to ask me?"

"I need another place to stay."

The vampire looked thoughtful for a moment. He got up from the ledge and walked to stand in front of Vivian.

"I know of one more place. Do try not to be tracked down again because this time I'm taking you with me to my residence."

Vivian shut her eyes tightly as she felt Sanguini lift her from the ground. Three seconds later they landed on soft earth. Vivian noticed it was colder here, wherever here was.

"This house is my place of rest," Sanguini answered Vivian's unspoken question, "we are in the outskirts of Manchester."

Vivian looked over to the small two story house. Its once whit paint had turned into a dull gray. The shutters on the outside windows were painted black along with the trim. With a wave of his hand, Sanguini opened the door and stepped inside. Vivian crossed the threshold after. The foyer was small with a set of stairs leading to the second level. On both sides of the foyer were two adjacent rooms; one was a sitting room while the other was a dining one. Books and newspapers littered the floor in the sitting room. The dining room held one long table with only two place settings. There was another door in the dinning room that led to the kitchen. In the kitchen there was a door that led down to the basement.

"I rest in the basement because there are no windows down there. Please don't go down there, Vivian."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Sanguini then led her upstairs where there two empty bedrooms, a bathroom with a large tub, and the furnished master bedroom. Walking over to the large windows, Sanguini pulled down the drapes. The sun was beginning to rise.

"You're welcome to stay here. I'll be awake around seven. Goodnight, my dear."

"Good morning," she corrected him and then added, "Thank you."

Sanguini nodded and disappeared. Some of the rays from the sun began to penetrate through the drapes. Vivian yawned and fell into the large bed. With a flick of her wand, all the drapes closed securely, plunging the room into total darkness.

_Two more days, _she thought before she fell asleep, the locket resting gently on her chest.


	6. Unwelcomed Visitors

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only Vivian. All the HP characters belong to JK Rowling, Warner Bros., etc. Mitchell belongs to Destiny78. Radu belongs to Full Moon Movie Productions. Marius belongs to Anne Rice. Mesphisto belongs to Goethe. Carmilla belongs to Joseph Sheridan le Fanu. And last but certainly not least, Vlad Dracul belongs to Bram Stoker. I can't remember if I put a disclaimer in the beginning but here it is now! Enjoy! **

**Chapter Six: Unwelcomed Visitors **

Vivian woke up at a quarter to seven. The sun was setting. She still felt tired but she had work to do tonight. She walked into the bathroom and surveyed herself in the mirror. Her makeup was smudged and her hair was mused and greasy. She judged she had twenty minutes to shower until Sanguini woke up. She took off her robes and noticed only a couple bruises on her body. The bruises were mainly on her left side. She thought the bruises might have been caused by the dumping of her person on the porch. _Or else some stupid Order member dropped me._ She moved away from the mirror and turned the "hot" tap on. It took a couple of seconds for the water to start flowing and another minute for the water to heat. She stepped into the shower gingerly. The hot water felt good. She had scrounged around through the cabinets underneath the sink and found an old bar of soap and shampoo. A darkish brown stain was on the shampoo bottle. She washed quickly. Vivian charmed herself dry and charmed her robes clean. She went downstairs and found Sanguini in the kitchen reading the _Evening Prophet_.

"I have business to attend to tonight, darling, so don't wait up for me," she told him with a sickening sweet smile.

"Be careful, Vivian," he answered.

"I will."

She donned the only cloak she had; the one the _prince_ had left with her. Then she walked away from the house and disapparated.

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Screams rent through the air. Flashes of light glowed eerily in the darkness. Two cloaked figures watched the violence from a far. One was wearing a mask. If you would look at the other, you would think he was wearing one, too. But he wasn't. Voldemort's snake-like face was stretched by the grin he wore. His eyes flashed malevolently. The masked figure stood ram-rod straight, his arms crossed. Black eyes glittered behind the white mask.

"Ah, Severus! These muggles have no idea what is going on! The ministry is just as confused! The Order of the Phoenix will not come tonight because they have not a clue either!"

High pitched laughter followed these statements. The Dark Lord's face was full of ecstasy. The black eyes remained the same. Men, women, and children ran down the small town's streets, chased by creatures they always were taught did not exist. Voldemort and Snape were able to see everything clearly from their vantage point on top a small hill. The full moon shined brightly behind them. Werewolves could be seen ripping the limbs off people they caught. Dementors kissed anything that ran. Two cloaked figures were mere blurs to the human eye. Wherever they stopped, however, blood gushed and sprayed down the asphalt. Deatheaters marched proudly through the carnage. One of the blurs disappeared for a second and appeared next to Snape and Voldemort. Snape drew his wand but kept it out of sight.

"My Lord," it said with a bow.

It lowered its hood. The vampire's face was smeared with blood and dirt. Its face was sunken in and gaunt. Its hair was a long tangle of brown dead strands. Severus suppressed a shudder from looking at the hideous creature.

"Radu," the Dark Lord acknowledged with a tilt of his head, "What news have you brought me?"

The vampire straightened and smiled, its fangs yellow and bloody. Its voice was heavily accented.

"Ve haff destroyed the town and killed most of de muggles. One of your deatheaters found several portkeys that de ministry probably gave dem. Bellatrix is doing a body count in case ve missed some."

"Good work tonight, Radu. You may go."

The vampire bowed and melted into the night. The Dark Lord turned his back on the town and motioned for Snape to follow him. the grass was damp under their boots.

"I have an errand for you, Severus."

"I will do whatever my Lord asks."

"Go to the cemetery in Godric's Hollow. Potter is there. You will find him sitting next to the gravestones of his parents. His mind is open and vulnerable at the moment. Search the house for any horcrux he might have hidden in it. Check his school trunk. I'm certain they are in there. You will not have to worry about any of his friends tonight."

"It will be done, my Lord."

With a parting nod from Voldemort, Snape disapparated.

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Vivian apparated behind a large white-washed tomb. She had made it to Godric's Hollow a little after nine o'clock. She had stopped at the Leaky Cauldron first for a bit of supper and then to Gringotts since she needed gold. The full moon illuminated the graveyard. She looked around and saw no one. She walked slowly around the tomb, her wand at the ready. After about twenty minutes of tip-toeing through the graves, she saw the young man she was looking for. He was kneeling between two graves. The redhead was right. Potter was in Godric's Hollow. In the distance she could see the house that Lily and James Potter died in. It was rebuilt a few years ago by an "unknown benefactor." _Albus Dumbledore did it, _she thought. She walked closer to him to see him better. Potter had thick unruly black hair. He wore glasses that shined whenever he moved. Even though the night was cold, he wore only a pair of muggle jeans and a white shirt. Vivian noted that he looked small for a boy of seventeen. She judged his height to be about a meter and half with a couple of centimeters, give or take. He was very thin. Potter just kneeled there next to his parents' graves.

Vivian looked around and did not see anyone else. She moved silently between the graves and tombs, careful not to be noticed. No one was there. No one kept watch or guard over the Chosen One. _I was right to come here tonight. _She scanned the trees and surrounding wood but did not see any animals. _It wouldn't be good to be surprised by an animagus._ She remained crouched like that for two hours, watching Harry Potter until she noticed something by the house...

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"A deatheater!" she whispered.

_Oh, I'm going to show this one..._ She waited a moment before she went to the door. _The idiot never locked it! Ha! He must be new at this. _She opened it slowly and looked around. There was only a couch in the room. The kitchen could be seen from the doorway. She checked that quickly in case the deatheater saw her. _Nope, he's upstairs. _She walked up quickly and quietly. There was a long hallways that led to four rooms. She checked the first three and found the bedrooms the teenagers slept in. In the fourth, she found the deatheater rummaging through a trunk, his back to her.

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Snape had made it through the house undetected. There were no wards on it except an anti-apparation one. He went through the house quickly and found the trunk he was looking for. He put up a quick charm to alert him if anyone stepped into the room. He found Potter's old school robes on the top with his books shoved underneath them. _I knew he had my old Potions book! _On the very bottom of the trunk, he found the items he was looking for.

He pulled out the gold ring with the cracked stone that belonged to Voldemort's grandfather, Voldemort's ruined diary, the gold cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, and a curious looking inkpot. On it, he saw the faded pictures of birds and an elaborate R stamped in it. He checked all the items to see if they would activate. None did. The items were free of Voldemort's soul.

"You finally did something right, Potter," he said in relief.

Then his wand began to vibrate.

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Vivian was still in the hallway when she saw the deatheater pull out all of Voldemort's horcruxes. She watched him as he tested each of them.

"You finally did something right, Potter," the deatheater said in a deep baritone voice.

Vivian smirked and decided to step into the room, her wand still raised. She felt the wards go off as she entered. The deatheater turned and stood quickly with his wand pointed straight at her, also.

"What's a disgusting thing like you creeping around Potter's house for, eh? Looking for Voldemort's toys?"

She sneered at the deatheater. He remained silent and still. His black eyes followed her every movement. Vivian became unnerved by the silence.

"Why are you here?" she said in a low, dangerous voice. "Answer me!"

To her amazement, the deatheater lowered his wand and put it back inside his cloak.

"I am here for the same reason as you," he answered her.

"Yeah? And what is that?"

He wasn't going to fool her. She knew he was trying to lead her into a false sense of security. She kept her wand straight and steady, and her mind clear.

"The destruction of the Dark Lord, of course."

"You expect me to believe that from a deatheater? Take off your mask, you coward."

The deatheater's eyes turned into slits of anger. His hands formed fists at his side.

"If I am such a coward, why do I risk discovery of my treachery against the Dark Lord?"

"It is more idiocy than bravery."

"No wonder your aunt despises you..."

"What did you say?" she asked, her eyes widening inadvertently.

"You are a hypocrite," he continued. "You've been hiding from the Dark Lord for years. You have shunned yourself away from everyone you've ever known. You are only here for the same selfish reason as I am. To be free."

Vivian glared at the deatheater. He had hit a sore spot. She was here for that one reason. She had even told Sanguini the same thing last night. She lowered her wand but did not pocket it. She wasn't stupid.

"Why aren't you in the Order if you are against the Dark Lord?"

"I was."

She studied the man before her. He was tall, about a meter and three-fourths. He was thin and judging by his hands, sallow skinned. She looked into his eyes again and saw him studying her, also.

"How can I trust you?"

"I know you have the locket, but I will not take it."

She nodded, but still didn't trust him. Using legelimency, she wasn't able to see anything. He was a good occlumens. Both turned their heads as they heard the door slam beneath them.

"Potter's back! Come on!"

"Ron? Hermione?" yelled Harry from the bottom floor.

There was no way out except for the window. The deatheater crossed the room and opened it.

"Ladies first," he said.

Vivian had no choice but to climb out. It was either climb out the window and onto the porch or be caught by Potter and held again as a prisoner by the Order of the Phoenix. She pocketed her wand and went through the window. The deatheater followed her out and closed it as quietly as he could. Vivian was already climbing down the porch. She jumped the remaining meter and landed on her feet. She looked up and saw the deatheater climbing down, too. She saw Potter at the window. The deatheater jumped just in time. A red streak of light narrowly missed him. He rolled on the ground, righted himself, and started sprinting. Vivian was ahead of him, but he caught up quickly. Flashes of light sped past them. The deatheater grabbed her suddenly.

Harry Potter watched as his unwelcomed visitors disapparated.

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"Let go of me!"

Vivian wrenched herself away from the deatheater's grip, her wand pointed at his chest. She could smell smoke and blood suddenly.

"Where are we!" she demanded.

"Dovetown," he replied quietly.

His black eyes looked over the destruction. Vivian turned and stared. The whole place was destroyed. Most of the houses were ashes; some fires still burned. She saw limbs scattered everywhere and bodies torn to shreds. Blood soaked the streets. The stench of death reeked. Vivian had to control her urge to vomit.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"Not even a quarter of the Dark Lord's army was here tonight. I need you to write a letter to your aunt telling her about this. Tell her she needs to keep badgering Potter about Occlumency. She needs to raise an army quickly, too."

The deatheater turned and started walking north. Vivian glanced once more at the destruction and followed him.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

He looked back at her. His eyes had deadened.

"I must return to the Dark Lord."

She nodded. He stepped a few feet away from her.

"Remember to write to your aunt," he said. "And one more thing..."

He paused for a second before he added, "I want my cloak returned to me in good condition after this war is over."

She stared at him as he disapparated. Coming to her senses, she grew angry.

_He toyed with me the whole time! I'll get that bastard back! I will find out who this half-blood prince is! _

With that, she looked around to see where she was. A large object caught her eye. Hogwarts Castle gleamed in the moonlight about fifteen miles away.


	7. The Second Nightmare

**Chapter Seven: The Second Nightmare**

Vivian returned to Manchester around four in the morning. She felt sick and exhausted. _The Dark Lord is attacking closer to Hogwarts. If that castle falls, then the whole wizarding world will fall soon after. _She walked shakily inside the house and sat down in the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water but spit it out because it tasted old and stagnant. She searched through the cupboards and found two bottles; one was a dark red liquid which she immediately disregarded and the other was an amber color. Sniffing it, she knew it was brandy. She tossed the glass in the sink and drank straight from the bottle. The alcohol soothed her nerves. She was dozing off when she heard the front door slam. Her eyes were glazed over and she couldn't focus on anything. _I'm not drunk said the drunk. _Vivian saw the blurred figure of someone step into the room. The bottle fell from her hands and shattered onto the floor.

"Vivian…"

She was unconscious the rest of the morning and day.

_

* * *

_

_Open your eyes…_

Vivian opened her eyes and found herself standing at the end of a dock. The pale moonlight shimmered off the lake water. There was a cold breeze that blew from what she thought was the north and it whipped her robes around her harshly.

_They are going to die because of you…_

"Who?"

_The children who are our only hope. _

"How will that happen? I still have the locket!"

_You won't have it for long. You won't have long for anything. _

The voice made Vivian shiver. She bared her teeth ready for any cutting comment it might make. The waters of the lake became turbulent. The moon turned red and gave off a dark light. Vivian looked all around and felt the darkness. She felt the darkness in her skin, her muscles, and her bones. It was as tangible as the water beneath her feet. She screamed in frustration. For a moment she felt as if she were floating. Looking down she saw the dock disappear under her feet. Vivian fell into icy black water. Her robes dragged her down. Her lungs started to hurt. She cupped her hands and started to reach into long strokes. The surface of the water glittered red above her. Something grabbed her ankle. She tried to kick out of the grip but it pulled her down even more. She arched her back, kicking both feet at the same time. The move freed her legs but the flip brought her upper body down. Her lungs screamed in protest. She kicked her feet with all her strength and saw the surface come closer. The hands grabbed her shoulders. Gasping, she felt an icy surge of water enter her mouth. She turned with one last effort to free herself. A horror met her face. Dead and rotting flesh clung to the skull of the creature that held her. Its eyes were milk white and blind. Long blond hair floated behind it.

"Vivian," its voice was frightening familiar.

She screamed and inhaled more water. She was going to die. She was going to—

* * *

Her lungs took in a gulp of musty air. Her eyes opened wide. It was just a dream. She sat up and saw she was in the master bedroom.

"Are you okay?"

She jumped, a sick wave of fear washing over her. Red eyes glowed in the darkness on the other side of the room. It was just Sanguini. Sweat was dripping from her skin.

"Vivian? How are you feeling?" he asked again.

Vivian's dark green eyes adjusted to the darkness. Her stomach cramped immediately.

"Sick," she muttered and leapt out of bed and into the bathroom. She threw up everything in her stomach. Her hands were shaking. She felt Sanguini's cool fingers gather her hair out of her face and tie it back.

"That is one of the things that I do not miss from being mortal."

Vivian dry retched once more and then stood up straight. She glared at him. She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

"Shut up, Sanguini, at least I could walk in sunlight."

"Ouch! That has _mortally_ wounded me, dear."

Sanguini grabbed at his chest and feigned to be hurt. He received a sharp look from Vivian as she brushed her teeth. Her head throbbed and she still felt sick. She was not one of those people to swear off alcohol though because of a silly hangover. It would happen again so there was no point in denying it. Sanguini followed her out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. Neither wondered at the amount of fluids Vivian vomited.

"What time is it?"

"It's just after eight. You slept the whole time. I woke up just an hour ago to your screaming."

"I dreamed that I was drowning."

Sanguini raised an expectant eyebrow for her to continue. She did not elaborate.

"What did you have planned tonight?"

"I don't know. I need to write to my aunt. Dovetown was burned to the ground. It's only ten or fifteen miles from Hogsmeade. I was there last night. I could see Hogwarts."

"The Dark Lord destroyed the whole town? How did you know?"

"I went to Godric's Hollow first. I met up with… a new acquaintance…the half-blood of the Dark Lord's ranks. He told me the Dark Lord has a massive army and he is already mobilizing them."

All the gore she saw last night flashed in her mind. She remembered the look in the deatheater's eyes as he disapparated away.

"It was awful, Sanguini. The deatheater knows the Dark Lord is going to attack Hogwarts. If he does, it will be a bloody massacre."

Sanguini walked around the kitchen, his arms crossed. He had a frown on his pale face. He looked lost in thought.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.

Black eyes met green ones.

"How can we trust a deatheater?"

"I don't know. I trust the information he gave me is real. I think…"

Vivian's head cleared and a mischievous smile grew on her face. Sanguini knew all the warning signs of trouble.

"Now, Vivian, whatever you're—."

"Shut up, Sanguini, and grab your cloak!"

"Why did I even open my fucking mouth?"

* * *

Vivian apparated with Sanguini holding her arm. They were back in London. Vivian grabbed the vampire's arm and began leading him down the street. She pulled her hood up and hid her face.

"Hold on," Sanguini said while looking around, "Why are we going to The Goblin?"

"You'll see… Just be patient. You'll figure everything out in a moment anyway."

They entered the pub. Vivian looked around and dragged Sanguini to the bar with her. Sanguini rolled his eyes. Vivian's sudden ideas always landed them into trouble. She ordered a double shot of scotch on the rocks.

"Are you sure you want to drink that?"

"Yes. And I am going to enjoy it."

They sat in silence. Vivian sipped her drink. Witches and Wizards came and left the bar. It was two hours later when a large group of people entered the pub. Most were dressed richly and were talking loudly. They carried themselves with arrogance. Sanguini's eyes widened.

"Deatheaters?"

Vivian's eyes glittered dangerously as she nodded. Without a word to Sanguini she moved closer to the group.

"Vivian!"

The deatheater's gathered around a long table. A young waitress had the unfortunate task of getting their orders. After, she came back to the bar very harassed and bad-tempered. There were seven deatheaters at the table. Vivian recognized a couple of the younger ones.

"Oh! The Dark Lord was so pleased with our success yesterday!" one of them blurted out.

They all raised their glasses and toasted. Vivian noticed Sanguini had moved to the other side of the table and was also listening to the conversation.

"Let's hope that our next assignment will be as successful. I would hate to see him angry at us."

"We won't fail," said a woman with short black hair. "We have everything we'll ever need. And with Radu and Annis…"

"Shut the hell up! Do you want the Dark Lord to find out you've been naming his highest officials! What if there was an Auror in here?"

"Get your head out of your arses, the both of you. I won't worry about the ministry. I would just worry about the Dark Lord and the resistance."

The group all lowered their voices and leaned into one another. Vivian had to strain to hear them. She knew Sanguini could hear everything fine and would fill her in on the parts she missed.

"The Dark Lord is planning something extremely big for next month, I heard. The youngest Malfoy is supposed to be in charge of it. That hidden advisor of the Dark Lord's won't tell anyone about it but I've seen Malfoy speak to him. There's rumors that the Dark Lord keeps the advisor hidden because he's a mudblood."

There was a collective gasp from the others. Vivian listened with more interest.

"I wonder what happened to that fellow who killed Dumbledore. He was celebrated as a hero and then disappeared. Do you think the Dark Lord killed him?"

"Why would he kill him?"

"Because he did something the Dark Lord has been trying to do for years! Albus Dumbledore was the only obstacle the Dark Lord had to Potter. Now that he's out of the way, why doesn't the Dark Lord go after Potter?"

"I don't know. You would do well to remember your place, too, O'Neil."

"I'm just tired of all this waiting, is all."

Another figure in green ran into the pub.

"The ministry is coming! The aurors will be here any second!"

The whole pub emptied in less than a minute. Vivian fought against the crowd that surged through the door. She looked everywhere for the group of deatheaters and only saw the man named O'Neil. She rushed over to him and, making sure no one saw, grabbed and dragged him into an alleyway. She held him at wand point.

"What are you doing, bitch! The aurors are coming!"

"Knowing the ministry, we have another five minutes until they show up. I can see from the little chat you and your friends were having that you know more than you let on. When is the Dark Lord going to attack Hogwarts?"

O'Neil tried struggling against her but he couldn't reach his wand. She dug hers more into his neck. He hissed.

"Who said anything about Hogwarts? The Dark Lord has his sights for something else."

"What is it then?" she growled.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something move. She peered closer and saw that Sanguini was waiting for her in darkened niche.

"I don't know! Only the Dark Lord has hinted that. Even his second in command doesn't know where. Everyone has just assumed its Hogwarts."

She nodded.

"Thank you, O'Neil. _Stupefy._"

The man slumped onto the wet cement. Vivian heard popping noises behind herself. The aurors had finally arrived.

She met up with Sanguini.

"Let's go. I want to get a couple of hours sleep before heading off to meet Potter."

Both disappeared into the night.

**Author's Note: I noticed I made an error in chapter three. I wrote that Vivian was two years younger than Lupin but in Chapter Two, she's 27. Vivian is 27. I'll fix the error immediately. More to come soon if school isn't so hectic! **


	8. The Third Day

**Chapter Eight: The Third Day**

Vivian immediately fell asleep when she returned to the house. Sanguini watched over her until the dawn. He noted that she seemed to be restless and at times, looked as if she wanted to awaken. She tossed and turned over several times, her dark auburn hair falling into her face. Before dawn, he pulled the blankets back over her body and moved her hair out of her face.

"Sleep well, Vivian," he whispered to her.

"I fear the calm before the storm has ended."

* * *

Severus Snape was awakened by a large blast from the next room. He sat up groggily. He still wore the same robes as he did last night. He heard another hex in the next room. He donned his mask and burst through the door. His eyes swept over three young men—deatheaters—towering over another one slumped on the floor. The figure on the floor appeared to have just come of age. He was just a boy. All three men standing had their wands drawn. With a quick non-verbal command, he held all the wands in his hand. The fear in the room was thick. Snape knew that they feared him as much as the Dark Lord.

"What is going on here?" he asked in a soft voice.

The boy on the floor tried to speak but the shortest of the three beat him to it.

"He's a traitor, sir!"

Snape's black eyes flashed. The boy's face drained of all blood.

"Explain."

"He was caught by the aurors, sir. He claims he was held up by a member of the resistance. We know he made a deal with the ministry and is trying to spy on us! He's the one whose probably been giving the resistance information!"

Snape walked briskly to the boy and grabbed him roughly by the robes. He pulled him up and held him against the wall. The boy's eyes looked directly into his. He could see that the boy thought he was going to be killed. He saw the boy and the others at a pub. He heard their conversation and saw the mad rush for the door. He saw the boy shoved into the wall and the flash of dark green eyes. More images flashed through his mind. Snape blinked and saw the trembling boy staring at him. He let him go.

"Get out of here, boy. You should be lucky your father works at the ministry."

"Y-Yes, sir."

The boy ran out of the room, glaring darkly at his ex-friends. The others stood stock still. Snape turned to them.

"I will not mention that you three were blabbing out the Dark Lord's supporters and plans to the Dark Lord. If I see or hear anything about you three again, I will speak with him."

They all nodded and left the room quickly. Snape ran a hand through his limp and greasy hair. Going into his private room again he decided he needed a shower. Little did he know that it was going to be a quick one.

* * *

Vivian woke around ten thirty in the morning. The sun was clearly up though the curtains were fully drawn. She stretched her muscles and felt more relaxed than she had in ages. A good night's sleep had helped her more to relax than that half a bottle of brandy. She showered quickly and found robes in the closet to wear. It wasn't good to charm the same ones clean over and over again. She still wore the Prince's cloak. There was no food in the house so she left immediately to The Hog's Head. _Figures a vampire wouldn't have anything decent to eat. _When she appeared in Hogsmeade, she was by the stile at the end of the town. She hurriedly pulled her hood up and covered her face. The weather was pleasant and cool. The sun hung high above her and was a brilliant white. She could tell most people were not doing their errands today. Curiosity got the better of her so she ventured onto the main road. She saw Zonko's Joke shop and the Owl Post Office. The Three Broomsticks looked like it had a good clientele today. She saw Madame Rosemerta laughing with the other customers. _To see those people with no worries. It must be nice. _She turned away from that scene. Looking up she saw Hogwarts Castle. It looked as grand and majestic as when she graduated ten years ago. She hadn't stepped foot in the castle since. Memories of running down the front lawns during the spring came into her mind. She saw herself with a boy with short spiky blond hair, very handsome like his older brother. They always agreed with each other except when it came to politics. She was like every other proud pure-blood though she was against the campaigns of the megalomaniac trying to seize power at that time. Her family was against the war. His was all for it. "A purification of the bloodlines," was what they called it. Regulus had dark brown eyes that shined whenever he was into no good. Vivian stared at a nearby tree by the road. Regulus had scared the shit out of a hufflepuff one time by trying to jump down it and right in front of the poor kid. The only problem was Regulus misjudged his jump and actually jumped _on _the kid instead of in front of him. She laughed so hard that she couldn't stand up. Her eyes hardened when she couldn't think of another time when she laughed like that or been that happy since her school days. She drew the Prince's cloak closer to her body. Her body felt cold at the thought of dead friends. The locket hanging bobbing slightly on her chest made her shiver. Regulus had given it to her. She hoped relief would come with it gone. Maybe she could settle down in some quite place like Devonshire or Breton when the war was over and she could make sure Sanguini and the other vampires were okay. She couldn't say alive since they were undead. Sanguini was the only person—well, non-human—she allowed herself to get close to. She owed him her life.

Some people from the Three Broomsticks left the pub and started up the street. She couldn't stay here any longer. With one last wistful look at the castle, she turned her back to it and took the alleyways to The Hog's Head. She was glad she did. In the final one before the pub she saw a cloaked figure lurking by the street. It had not heard her enter the alley. She walked quietly up to it and turned it sharply by its thin shoulder. Vivian held her wand against its throat. The "it" was a young woman around her age she judged, with bright bubble-gum pink hair. The woman had her wand out but was not going to risk being hexed point-blank by Vivian.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded Vivian.

The young woman looked directly into Vivian's eyes.

"I'm with the Order. We've been waiting here for a while. _He's _waiting for you inside with Ron and Hermione. Aberfroth gave them a private booth."

Vivian, her wand still positioned, looked around the empty street in front of her. She then saw the other members watching her from various positions. Some were perched on roof tops while others were standing next to the adjacent buildings. Vivian lowered her wand. She nodded at the woman and hurried across the street. It was too quiet. A sense of foreboding crept into her stomach.

She pushed the doors to the pub open. Several other cloaked figures were sitting around with glasses of various spirits. She saw the dingy bartender and approached him.

"I was told I have a private booth."

"Yeh do. 'ollow meh."

He led her behind the bar and into a hallway. They both entered the last room on their left side. The room was dimly lit. There was only a circular table with four chairs around it. Vivian saw the redhead, the busy haired girl and another smaller teenager. The shorter boy had pitch black hair but the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. She could see the scar on his forehead clearly through his bangs. The Boy Who Lived was very thin but she could see he had strength. She could feel the strength of his magic also. He looked at her behind thin wired glasses. Hermione and Ron watched both of them carefully. Vivian noticed that they had their hands on their wands.

They all jumped slightly when the door slammed shut. Obviously Aberfroth left without a word to either of them. Vivian took a deep breath and wondered how a skinny seventeen year old could make her feel so nervous. _He's the only one who has survived the killing curse! What kind of magic can do that? _She sat down gracefully and waited for the teenagers to do the same. Harry was the first one to speak.

"Professor McGonagall and my friends here told me that you have a horcrux."

"I do. It's yours as long as you destroy it as soon as possible."

Harry nodded.

"Can I see it?"

Vivian pulled the long sliver chain from under her robes. The locket shined in the dim candle light. Harry's eyes brightened also.

"So it's Slytherin's locket after all. Is it still activated?"

"Yes. I haven't been able to do anything to it. Be careful, Potter."

Vivian held out the locket. Harry grasped it and stared at it in his palm. The room was silent. The candle flames flickered slightly. Hermione was studying Vivian's features again. Ron was looking over Harry's shoulder at the locket.

"Why did you hide and leave your family behind?" asked Hermione suddenly.

Vivian's dark eyes met her brown ones. This girl was truly the brains of the trio. Ron looked at her, too. Harry paid no one any attention. He was still absorbed in the locket.

"I couldn't stay."

"But why?"

"Because I would endanger everyone who was around me!" she snapped. "I'm high on the Dark Lord's black list. It's the same reason you three left Hogwarts and your families."

Hermione did not take offense at Vivian's sharp tone this time. She became quiet and moved her eyes to the locket. All three of them jumped to their feet, their wands drawn when they heard the first explosion. Vivian flew to the door and opened it slightly. The hallway was clear. They needed to get out as soon as possible. They were trapped if they stayed in the room.

"You three keep behind me! You two," she motioned to Ron and Hermione, "keep Potter out of sight as much as possible. We don't want the Dark Lord to start a duel early."

She ran down the hall nimbly. She looked around the corner to see the bar empty. She waved her hand to sign the cost was clear. The trio moved behind her. The front of the bar was empty also. Through the windows though, Vivian saw smoke and flashes of curses flying everywhere. She moved closer to the window.

The glass shattered. Pieces of glass caught her on her cheek. She felt blood trickle down it. Order members were on the south side of the street while twice as many deatheaters were on the north. The Order members were trying desperately to get to the pub. A stray hex splintered the door into two pieces.

"Is there another way out!" shouted Vivian above the noise.

The redhead nodded and pointed to another door across the room. Vivian opened it quickly and saw it opened up to the alleyway in the back.

"Stay here until I see where this leads."

She ran the length of the alley and saw it split two ways. Through one she could only see the smoke from the battle. The other way was clear.

"Come on!" she mouthed.

The trio ran up to her. Hermione and Ron kept Harry in between them. Vivian ran the remainder of the way and saw that the main street was still clear. The trio was behind her. She turned to them.

"Leave here now! Go on!"

"But the others—." Started Harry.

"Don't play hero now, Potter! If you die prematurely without taking the Dark Lord with you, everyone will curse your name for your stupidity!"

Harry nodded. Vivian saw he wore the locket around his neck. She heard several cracks in the street. A group of deatheaters appeared. Only one wore a white mask. The others wore black. The trio prepared to apparate.

"Don't let Potter leave!" a deep voice rumbled from the white mask.

Hermione and Ron apparated right as the man spoke. Harry stopped dead on hearing that voice. Vivian recognized it as the voice of the Half-Blood of the Dark Lord's ranks. _What the hell is he doing? What side is he really on?_

"You!" screamed Harry.

The deatheater stood ram-rod straight, his black eyes glittered malevolently. Potter held his wand at the ready. Vivian knew he was going to do something stupid. She did the only thing she could do.

"Stupefy!"

The deatheater watched as Harry's eyes fluttered shut and saw his body hit the ground with a thud. The other deatheaters were cheering her on. She ran up to the boy and grabbed his wrist. She pulled out a handkerchief and cast a silent _Portus. _

The deatheater in the white mask knew what she was going to do. She looked back at him and smirked. To her surprise, his eyes looked relieved. She felt a familiar pull around her navel.

Vivian and Harry landed in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow. Hermione and Ron ran up to them from the house.

"What happened to him?" exclaimed Hermione.

"Get him up to the house," interrupted Vivian. "Don't let him out of your sight either!"

Ron picked up Harry easily and ran to the house. Hermione turned to follow but one of Vivian's hands wrapped around her wrist.

"Wait, Hermione. I need to know something."

Hermione's brown eyes showed her distrust but she nodded anyways. Vivian did not let go of her wrist.

"Harry reacted only to one deatheater after you two apparated. What does he have against the half-blood?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Vivian barely heard her when she whispered, "So he was there…"

"Who is he?" asked Vivian.

Hermione looked toward the graveyard. Her eyes filled with emotions; sorrow, regret, anger. When she looked at Vivian again, her face was set in a fierce look.

"That deatheater was once a spy for the Order. He's shown his true colors. He is now the Dark Lord's advisor and second in command since Lucius Malfoy screwed up in the Department of Mysteries and is now in Azkaban. No one has seen Draco. The Order thinks he was killed because he couldn't complete his task…"

"Was the task completed?" asked Vivian in a low voice. She didn't know what to think.

"Oh, yes," said Hermione sarcastically. "It was done well."

"Who completed it if the youngest Malfoy couldn't?"

"That half-blooded deatheater did. That's why the Dark Lord trusts him so much."

"What was the task? I haven't heard of anything done recently—."

"He killed Albus Dumbledore."

* * *

**Author's Note: Blame education and work for the long wait. More to come, hopefully soon! **


	9. Deceptions

**Chapter Nine: Deceptions **

"That bastard lied to me, Sanguini!"

The vampire sat with his legs crossed at the small kitchen table in the middle of the dimly lit room. It was seven o'clock at night and he had just awoken to Vivian's fierce mutterings of betrayal.

"I began to trust him, too! Stupid, stupid!"

She paced the length of the kitchen and glared at the vampire. Her arms were crossed and her hair was starting to get out of her ponytail. Sanguini tried not to smirk at her disheveled appearance.

"Aren't you going to say something? Mock me on how I opened myself up to him?"

The vampire raised one black eyebrow, his eyes narrowing. He stretched his arms over his head.

"I don't have anything to add to your diatribe. You seem to have figured out all your flaws yourself."

Vivian growled at him.

"You're not supposed to be calm like this! You were supposed to be telling me what a fool I am for meeting with this disgusting half-blood!"

Sanguini sighed and folded his arms across his chest. His black eyes stared directly into Vivian's.

"You need to calm down. You're being irrational. Its not the first time an intelligent person was tricked by one of the Dark Lord's deatheaters."

Vivian felt as if she were going to explode. Anger coursed through her veins. She believed that that deatheater had been on her side, had seen what the war was doing to the Wizarding World. She believed he was a misunderstood individual whom the Order had abandoned prematurely. She now knew the reason her aunt refused to speak his name. _He killed Albus Dumbledore… _Those words repeated through her head. Albus Dumbledore had been like a grandfather to her. He was a grandfather to every person who had entered Hogwarts. He believed in love, happiness, and life. How can a person extinguish the flame of one so important? Vivian's hands shook as she pulled on the black cloak.

"Where are you going?" said Sanguini sternly.

"Out!" she barked at him.

"You can't go out like that! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"I won't be the one killed tonight! If I find or run into him…"

"Do you even know this man's name?"

Vivian's hand stilled on the doorknob. The cool metal sent a jolt through her fingers. She didn't know the name. She didn't even bother to find out. She turned back to Sanguini.

"No. I don't know the name. I'm sure you are going to enlighten me."

"Of course. Look at this Daily Prophet."

Sanguini picked a newspaper off the floor and spread it wide on the table. A picture of the late Headmaster was on the front page. The headline read, "Beloved Headmaster Gone! What next for Hogwarts?" Sanguini pointed to the last paragraph.

"There's the name of your deatheater right there. That's the only information those idiot journalists provided in that one paragraph."

Vivian bent over the paper. Her eyes picked up several words quickly: _spy, turncoat, Potions Master for 15 years, new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. _And then she saw the name.

_Severus Snape. _

"Snape killed him? I remember Regulus mentioning to me about a skinny greasy guy who use to fight with his brother. I wonder whether he's the one the mutt was talking about."

"Who's the mutt?" asked Sanguini.

"Oh, Regulus's brother, Sirius Black. His animagus was a dog."

"I get it now."

Vivian scanned the rest of the article. Her blood which had been ready to over boil was now at a simmer. She still needed answers. She headed back towards the door.

"You're still going out tonight?"

"Yes. I need to do something."

Sanguini nodded and watched her go. His eyes watched as her hair blew out behind her and the cloak whipped around her body. She apparated once out of his wards.

* * *

Vivian appeared by Godric's Hollow. She walked up to the house where the Trio were staying and checked up on them. Harry had threatened to hex her when he saw her for stunning him. She shrugged her shoulders and asked about the horcrux.

"I can't seem to open it. There is a piece of his soul inside but I can't think of a spell to get rid of it."

Hermione and Ron had joined them in the foyer of the house. Vivian had her hood up incase an unwelcomed guest viewed her.

"I can't help you right now, Potter, but make sure you find something soon. I should be back in a couple days."

"Where are you going?" asked Hermione.

"I can't tell you guys that."

Vivian departed from the house again without a backward glance. Instead of apparating in the cemetery, she walked along the main road toward the village. She didn't know why she wanted to come this way. Something urged her on.

* * *

He didn't know what had urged him to check up on the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-The-Bane-Of-His-Existence. He could see the house from where he stood hidden in the forest. He wore his deatheater's garbs incase someone happened by him. He was glad he did. Snape saw Vivian walk into the dirt road from the other side of the forest. He recognized her because she had his cloak on still. Strands of her hair barely left the cloak. From where he stood, he could hear her speak about something—someone—bothering her.

"When I find him…"

_Hmm…I wonder who would be fool enough to get on that witch's bad side… _Slowly he followed her, keeping himself hidden in the brush.

"That bastard will wish he was never born!" she said aloud.

The cold air felt good to her lungs. It made her face flushed and her eyes water slightly but she paid no attention to it. She only thought of cold obsidian eyes smirking at her. She could hear the rasp of his voice jeer at her in her ear. _Why did I even listen to a man in a mask? The coward probably wonders the same thing… _The road in front of her was clear. Moonlight coming from a waning moon illuminated the dirt and trees. She sighed audibly. A crunching sound to her left alerted her that she was not alone. Her left hand whipped out her wand in an instant.

"Show your self," she demanded calmly.

Her eyes watched for any movement. She couldn't suppress the icy chill that ran down her spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched when she saw the white mask appear from out of the trees followed by the black mass of robes. She felt all muscles tense and her posture become more rigid. The deatheater seemed to notice and stopped when he reached the lining of the trees.

"Congratulations on getting Potter away from the fight. I've wished to stun the brat into silence. I admire your quick solution," he said in a low silky voice.

He stood with his arms crossed around his chest. The robes billowed slightly in the breeze. His eyes glittered.

Vivian still stood rigid, listening to every mocking word. She was going to kill him if it was the last thing she did. She vowed to enjoy it.

Snape began to feel wary of this situation. Here was a seriously angered witch in front of him instead of the cool woman who met him in Dove Town.

"How dare you, you lying traitorous bastard."

Now he was confused. Was she angry with him for leading the attack the day before? He had given her time to escape and diverted his "fellows" away from them. The Dark Lord had been furious with him.

"If you're talking about yesterday—."

"Stupefy!"

He blocked the hex with a flick of his wrist. He had barely enough time to get out his wand. Now this was serious. Now he had Potter to worry about. Hopefully the brats hadn't seen the light.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her.

Snape kept his wand at the ready. The witch in front of him also kept her protective stance. Her eyes flared like fire. Her hood fell back, the moonlight making her hair the color of blood.

"You lied to me. How could you?"

"Damn it, witch! I do not—."

"You killed Albus Dumbledore!"

_So this masquerade is over. _His eyes widened involuntarily. His chest tightened painfully at the sound of that name. He lowered his wand and hid it back in his cloak. He then lowered his hood and took off his mask.

Vivian set eyes on Severus Snape for the first time in her life. Her wand had lowered slightly as she studied him. His skin was extremely pale. Long black hair was tied back with a black ribbon. His hawk-like nose was the most prominent feature on his face. He left his arms at his sides. Snape sighed.

"I did kill him. I don't deny it."

"Why though! He was the best of wizards!"

"What is between Albus and myself."

"Is that all you are going to say?"

"I could say you know nothing of the situation."

"Oh, quit the bullshit," she growled at him.

"If you are going to kill me, do it or be quiet," he snarled back.

Vivian raised her wand again. _I am going to kill him and then string his body up in front of the Ministry of Magic… _He stood there not trying to defend himself. Something was not right about this. Against her better judgment and with her mind whispering to her that she was stupid, she pocketed her wand. Snape nodded to her.

"Albus Dumbledore trusted you. He is not a man of bad judgment. You show or express yourself in anyway to make me regret my decision, I will kill you."

"Agreed."

Both stood in the middle of the road. The moon was falling and the trees grew more ominous with the darkness.

"Do you mind if we go somewhere not as near to Potter as here?" he asked quietly.

"No, I don't mind. Do you know how to apparate to Leeds in Yorkshire?"

"Yes."

"Meet me by the Golden Cross cemetery just north of the parish church."

An owl roosting on a nearby branch hooted softly when it heard two muffled cracks.

* * *

Author's note: So sorry for the extreme wait. It was beyond my control. The semester is winding down so hopefully I can avert my full attention to this story again. Thank you all again for reading. 


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